Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-04-14

HndIly RUBBED Ineln over with piece OF Tat,
which he had carefully saved from the inco
meat, till they looked, comparatively speak
ing, respectable. Having inspected them
judiciously through his eyeglass. he put
them on and began fresh operation.
From little bag he carried lie produced
p0cket-comb in which was fixed a tiny look
ing-glass, and in this he surveyed himself.
Apparently he was not satisfied, for he pro-
ceeded to do his hair with great care. Then
came pause whilst lie again contemplated
the effect; still it was not satisfactory. He
felt his chin, on which was now the accumu.
lated scrub OF a ten days beard Surely"
thought !, she is not going to try and
shave" But so it was. Taking the piece OF
fSt with which he had creased his boots, he
washed it carefully in the stream Then
diving again into the bag he brought out
little pocket razor with guard to it, such as
are sold to people afraid of cutting them
selves, or to those about to undertake sea
voyage. Then he vigorously scrubbed his
face and chin with the fat and began. But
it was evidently a painful process, for he
groaned very much over it, and I was con-
Vu!sed with inward laughter as I watched
him struggling with that stubby beard. 1t
seemed so very odd that man should take
the trouble to shave himself with piece of
fat in such place and under such circum-
stances. AT last he succeeded in getting the
worst OF the scrub off the right side of his
face and chin, when suddenly l. who was
watching, became aware Of flash of light
that passed just by his head.
Good sprung up with profane eXplana-
ton Gf it had not been a safety razor he
would certainly have cut his throat and so
did [, without the exclamation, and this was
what | saw. Standing there, not more than
twenty PAGES from where / was, and tea
from Good, were q group of men. They
were very tall and c0pper-cOlored, and some
of them wore great plumes of black feathers
and short cloaks Of leopard skins; this was
all L noticed at the moment. In front of
them stood youth Of about seventeen, his
hand still raised and his body bent for
ward In the attitude Of a Grecian statue of
spear-thrower. Evidently the flash Of light
had been weapon, ana he had thrown It.
AS looked an old s0ldier-like looking
man stepped forward out OF the group, and
catching the youth by the arm said some
thing to him. Then he advanced upon us.
Sir Henry, Good, and Umbopa had by
this time seized their rifles and lifted
them threateningly. The party of natives
still came Cd. 1t struck me that they could
not know what rifles We're, or they would
not have treated them with such contempt.
Put down your gunsw / halloed to the
others, seeing that our only chance of safety
lay in Cancellation. They obeyed, and walk
ing to the front | addressed the elderly man
who had checked the youth
Greeting" l said in Zulu, not knowing
what language to use. To my surprise |
was understood
"Greeting," answered the man, not, in
deed, in the same tongue, but in dialect so
closely allied to it, that neither Umbopa or
myself had any difficulty in understanding
it, Indeed, as we afterward found out, the
language spoken by this people was an old
fashioned form Of the Zulu tongue, bearing
about the same relationship to it that the
English Of Chaucer does to the English of
the nineteenth century,
Whence come ye?'' he went on, what
are you? and why are the faces of three of
we white, and the face of the fourth as the
face of our mothers sons?' and he pointed
to Umbopa. L looked at Umbopa as he said
it, and it flashed across me that he was right.
Umbopa was like the faces of the men be-
fore me, so was his great form But | had
not time to reflect on this coincidence.
We are strangers and come iii peace" |
answered, speaking very slow, so that he
might understand me, land this man is our
servant"
''Ye lie," he answered; ''nO strangers can
cross the mountains where all things die.
But what do your lies matter? il We are
strangers then We must die, for no strangers
may live In the land of the Kukuanas. 1t is
the king law. Prepare then to die, oh
strangersp'
| was slightly staggered at this, moro es-
pecially as l saw the hands Of some of the
party of men steal down to their sides,
where hung on each what looked to me like
a large and heavy knife.
''What does that beggar SaY?" asked Good. |
HE saws we are going to be scragged,"
answered grlmly.
''Oh Lord groaned Good; and, as it was
his way when perplexed, put his hands to
his false teeth, dragging the top set down !
and allowing them to fly back to his jaw !
with a snap. 1t was most fortunate move, |
for next second the dignified crowd of Ku- /
kuanas gave simultaneous yell Of horror, !
and bolted back some yards.
whats up?' said l.
''Its his teeth" whispered Sir Henry, ex-
citedly. He moved them. Take them out |
Good, take them outr'
He obeyed, slipping the set into the sleeve
Of his flannel shirt
In another second curiosity had overcome |
fear, and the men advanced slowly. Appar-
emily they had now forgotten their amiable
intentions of doing for us.
.''How is it, oh strangers" asked the old
man solemnly, that the teeth of the man.
(pointing to Good, who had nothing on but
a flannel Shirt and had only half finished
his Shaving) whose body is clothed, and
whose legs are bare, who grows hair on one
side of his sicllly face and not on the other,
and who has one shining and transparent
eye, and teeth that move of themselves com
ing away from the jaws and returning Of
their own WHIP
"Open your mouth, I said to Good, who
curled up his lips and grinned at
the old gentleman like an angry dog, reveal
ing to their astonished gaze two thin lines OF
gum as utterly innocent of worries as a new
born elephant. His audience gasped.
Where are his teeth?' they shouted.
with our eyes we saw them"
Turning his head slowly and with a gess-